New Delhi: Over one lakh Delhi residents have taken the Vayu Mitra Pledge to act as champions of clean air as part of a programme supported by the Environment Ministry and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).
The campaign successfully reached nine key hotspots, including Narela, Bawana, Mundka, Jahangir Puri, Vivek Vihar, Rohini, R.K. Puram, Okhla and Anand Vihar, along with several high-footfall public hubs, ensuring wide public participation, according to an official statement on Saturday.
WWF-India EIACP (Environmental Information, Awareness, Capacity Building) Programme Centre – Resource Partner (PC-RP) was supported by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF and CC) and held in collaboration with the CAQM.
Between June and August 2025, the campaign team organised over 25 workshops under the flagship campaign ‘Breath of Change – Clean Air, Blue Skies’ during which students pledged to become eco-leaders and RWAs committed to reducing local pollution, and citizens.
The campaign encouraged people to become responsible citizens, not to burn crackers, and to stop others from doing the same.
These activities brought together students, RWAs, commuters, and local communities, with an outreach of over 1,32,481 across Delhi’s most critical air pollution hotspots, said the statement.
From school classrooms to bustling metro stations, industrial areas to green parks, the campaign sparked collective energy for sustainable living. Children, teachers, parents, commuters, RWA leaders, and citizens from all walks of life came forward to take the Vayu Mitra Pledge and act as champions of clean air, it said.
The sessions included informative discussions on air pollution – its causes, sources, and far-reaching impacts on human health and the environment. The Mission LiFE documentary was screened, further reinforcing the message of sustainable living, and participants took the Vayu Mitra Pledge for Clean Air, committing to make conscious efforts to reduce pollution in their daily lives, the statement said.
A tree plantation drive was conducted, during which nearly 1,750 plants were distributed and planted under ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0’, involving students. An interactive quiz was also conducted.
Between June and September 8, the initiative made a significant impact by directly engaging over 2,00,000 participants through awareness and outreach activities, including various social media platforms.
A total of over 65 schools were sensitised across major pollution hotspots.
In addition to these on-ground efforts, several new initiatives were introduced, such as a Carbon Footprint Survey in which WWF- EIACP Centre created dashboards that evaluate the RWA Surveyed and carbon footprint tracker, SAMEER app demonstrations, student exhibitions showcasing solar power and “waste to wealth” innovations, AQI monitoring, and interactive quizzes, making the engagement more dynamic and impactful. The major target audience was also reached through social media.
(IANS)
